There are systems for providing content data, such as encoded video data and audio data, by transmitting to decoding apparatuses via a network, etc.
An encoding apparatus of such systems writes encoded data to a transmission buffer and, after a predetermined initial offset delay time, reads the content data from the transmission buffer so as to transmit to an encoding apparatus.
On the other hand, it starts by decoding.
A control circuit 11 suspends reading of encoding stream data DBI from a transmission buffer E_BUF until timing ti(3) that frame data f(3) is written to the transmission buffer E_BUF, when a data amount stored in the transmission buffer E_BUF becomes 0 at timing te(2) shown in FIG. 2.
Also, the control circuit 11 adds to the content data delay time information indicating an overflow and underflow, initial delay time until starting of the reading, and timing of reading respective frame data composing the content data from a receiving buffer and transmits the same to a receiving buffer D_BUF of a decoding apparatus 3.
A conventional encoding apparatus designates the above initial delay time by assuming that starting timing of the above initial offset delay time is 0. Therefore, the encoding apparatus adds the initial offset delay time information other than the above delay time information to the content data and transmits the same to the decoding apparatus.
However, in the above conventional system, since the initial offset delay time information is added to the content data, there is a problem that a step for the adding processing arises and a load on processing of the encoding apparatus is heavy.
Also, by adding the initial offset delay time information, there is a problem that an information amount of the content data becomes large.
The present invention was made in consideration of the above related arts and has as an object thereof to provide an encoding apparatus and the method capable of reducing a processing load on the encoding apparatus and reducing a communication amount at a time.
Also, an object of the present invention is to provide an encoding apparatus and the method capable of reducing a memory capacity required by a memory means for decoding.